Day two of the ATX TV Festival honored pioneers while forging a path for the ever-changing TV landscape. These two differing points were highlighted with two inaugural festival awards, a discussion on the current state of TV development, and a reunion 15 years in the making.

ATX TV takes pride in honoring champions of the craft. Two new awards — Impact of Storytelling and Showrunner Awards — were presented to Debora Cahn and David E. Kelley, respectively. Cahn, who earned her early writing credits on NBC’s The West Wing and Grey’s Anatomy, has since created the Emmy-nominated political thriller The Diplomat, starring Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell. She always envisioned writing a show that focused on the work Americans did in other countries but realized she had to mask those heavier themes with universal ones. The Diplomat is essentially about marriage and other relationships within the world of foreign affairs. The award was presented in partnership with Human Rights Watch.

Kelley, who needs no introduction, received the inaugural Showrunner Award for his decades-spanning career. Apart from last year’s Apple TV+ hit, Presumed Innocent with Jake Gyllenhall, Kelley penned episodes for classic series such as Picket Fences, LA Law, Ally McBeal, Big Little Lies, and Chicago Hope. The first creator to covet both Best Comedy and Drama Series Emmys in one year, Kelley said there’s no “secret formula” to success. “It’s always hard, always daunting.” He ensured his stories were character-based and wanted his audience to realize that “people are more good than bad.”

By noon, 800 Congress welcomed daywalkers to a panel exploring AMC’s storied horror franchise based on the novels of late author Anne Rice. Titled “Vampires, Witches, and Other Secret Societies: Inside AMC’s Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe,” the panel included Interview with the Vampire‘s showrunner and EP Rolin Jones, Talamasca’s showrunners John Lee Hancock and Mark Lafferty, executive producer Mark Johnson, and AMC Networks’ President of Entertainment and AMC Studios, Dan McDermott.

Jones detailed that the third season of Vampire will begin shooting in Toronto in two weeks. The season will have a radical tone shift, following Sam Reid’s Lestat in a new phase: a rock musician. Meanwhile, Johnson detailed how Mayfair Witches will depart from the book canon for season three and follow Alexandra Daddario’s Rowan to Salem. Here, she’ll learn there are other witches outside the Mayfair lineage. Finally, Hancock and Lafferty presented a first-look teaser of October’s Talamasca: The Secret Order. The series will be the third in the universe and explores the secret faction that monitors these supernatural beings. Hancock said he sought to create a spy series within this witchingly devilish world.

While each show has its distinct tone and feel, McDermott praised this universe for boasting the three characteristics of an AMC show: breakout character viewers connect with, a unique subculture or world that’s engaging and entertaining, and a light that illuminates our collective humanity.

After taking a look back and ahead, the “Now Developing” panel concentrated on the current state of TV development. At a time when only six new series are premiering across the four major networks in the fall, it’s an uphill battle to get something greenlit. However, the three panelists all remained optimistic about what innovation can be birthed amidst this time of uncertainty. Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter sat down with Dan Shorr, VP of Development, YMH Studios; Mona Garcea, Head of Development & Production, After January; and Kate Hoenigsberg, SVP, Drama Development, Universal Television. While three executives acknowledged the changing TV landscape, they praised their respective for stepping up to the challenge.

Shorr, whose YMH Studios focuses more on comedy, detailed how a great script will always break through to make the most noise necessary to be successful. Garcea, who helped pitch After January’s Night Court reboot at NBC, said authorship is most important. And Hoenigsberg, who through Universal Television has Neflix’s The Waterfront and Prime Video’s We Were Liars at the festival, reminded the audience not to “forget the power of the original idea.”

Finally, the day’s main event saw a packed Paramount Theatre welcome Greg Daniels and Mike Judge to preview Hulu’s revival of King of the Hill. Fifteen years after its series finale, the co-creators will return to Arlen, TX for a 10-episode season on August 4. Moderated by Variety’s Michael Schneider, the panel also included showrunner and EP Saladin K. Patterson, and voice actors Pamela Adlon, Lauren Tom, and Toby Huss.

The new series finds Hank, Peggy, and a 21-year-old Bobbie returning to the States after living retired in Saudi Arabia. We will follow these beloved characters post-COVID, at the height of social media and through the bursting bubble of streaming.

The hour-long conversation detailed how impactful the series has been for not only fans but the creators. Adlon stated the animated series made her a better writer and director. Tom felt great gratitude for giving life to an Asian American character she did not see growing up. Now, she has fans thanking her for being a much-needed sign of representation on screen. A long-time fan of the show, Patterson expressed he initially wasn’t interested in doing another reboot. He had just done two seasons of The Wonder Years on ABC. But he let all that go when he was approached to join the staff for this revival.

A through line throughout the enthusiastic conversation was the praise offered for the late Johnny Hardwick, who voiced the beloved Dale. While Hardwick appears in a few episodes, the Dale character has been passed to Huss.

All 13 seasons of King of the Hill are available to stream on Hulu.

Photo Credit: ATX TV Festival